


Second Blooming

by Rebecca Hb (beckyh2112)



Series: Valmont Duet [1]
Category: Jackie Chan Adventures
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-26
Updated: 2011-11-26
Packaged: 2017-10-26 13:25:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/283694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckyh2112/pseuds/Rebecca%20Hb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life has tossed him down from the heights, but Valmont is the kind of man to keep struggling back upward.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Blooming

He wasn't as young as he once was. Valmont felt it in his muscles in the mornings, in the tighter grip fatigue held him with, in the way drinking more than a glass of gin made him sick now. If things had gone as planned, he'd have retired by now.

No, he thought as he scrubbed his face, that was a lie. He'd never have retired from a life of crime; he'd go out feet-first. Preferably with a tasteful funeral rather than his body dumped in the harbor, mind you.

Shendu had saved him from a violent death, but not from poverty.

Valmont brushed his hair quickly and tied back his hair with a rubber band. A flash of pink on his skin caught his eye, and for the first time in years he stopped to look at his scars. Not as many as some might think, but still too many for his tastes. A few stab wounds, a spray of gunshot around his stomach - there were worse on his legs, he well knew - and the burns across his hips.

There were lots of little scars on his hands, and he could feel which fingers had never healed quite right when he punched the air as he ran through katas in the evening after work.

He stepped out of the cubbyhole of a bathroom and grabbed a t-shirt. Despite it all, he was still a handsome man. Older than he once was, too old to take up cat burglary again, but not old enough or humble enough to go begging back to his family. Not even if his blond hair turned completely white instead of threaded through like it was now would he go back to them.

He selected a pair of black shoes, good-quality and on the pricy side but not showily expensive. They were light, too, and didn't hinder his feet when he needed to kick someone. Too many people in this neighborhood seemed to think an older British man was easy pickings. Valmont laced them up quickly, then checked himself in the mirror.

It was... bemusing to dress so casually. Green jeans and a white t-shirt - it made him look younger. Heh. He'd never have been caught dead in this outfit four years ago.

But he was wasting time on his appearance. Today was his day off, and there was an exhibit at the Asian Art Museum he wanted to see. Quite an impressive set of jades in town for it, or so the newspaper said. Special security, even, as they were worried about the recently escaped Bartholomew Chang.

Valmont allowed himself a smirk as he locked the door behind him.

  
**-End-**   



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